AFC North blog

Zimmer, keeping his family close during the trip, traveled with his father, Bill, son Adam and daughter Corri. His mother and another son remained in Cincinnati.

Vikki Zimmer, 50, died at home. No details of her death have been revealed. Funeral arrangements were being finalized.

Zimmer is in his second season as Bengals defensive coordinator. He served in the same capacity for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, and with the Dallas Cowboys for the seven seasons prior to that. Zimmer was on Dallas' staff between 1994 and 2006.

James Walker covers the AFC North for ESPN.com. Information from ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen was used in this report.